For nine years I wrote a Commentary column for the Kansas City Star’s Blue Valley/Leawood Neighborhood News. But since I do fundraising for non-profits, I could no longer write for the Star.
With this blog, I will write the columns I would have written for the local community. But, I will also write about places, events and people that I think are important, or that are important to me. And memories of places, events and people that have impacted my life.
zicharonot 
Hi! Thank you for following my blog. I really like your yours very organize. I’m still on the journey on my blog:-)
I have nominated you for a Liebster award because I really enjoy reading your blog. If you’re interested in playing along with this blog award/participatory meme/community building exercise, check out my post at: https://protopianpicklejar.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/liebster-award/
Thank youn
My family left spain during the inquisition for Italy and embraced Catholicism. Do you have a link I can follw?
I have other blogs on this site about Jews from Spain. You might want to read the one about Crypto Jews in Santa Fe.
Hello. My grandparents were the Freedmans, of Freedmans Lake Road Cottages whose announcements you apparently heard from you place closer to Amber Lake. It has been a pleasure to stumble on to your blog!
I am trying to find the property on Google maps, even the outline of the old swamp or the pool, but not having success. Do you have an idea how far from Kauneonga Lake I should look?
Thank you for your blog, and for a paragraph that includes Finks, Sheppys AND Freedmans. I never thought that I would see all these places mentioned together unless my family said it.
Amber Lake is actually connected to Kauneonga lake. So zoom in and you will see a little circle off to the right side.
Then follow west shore road up towards Happy Avenue. You should be able to figure out which is yours. If you read the blog on walking up to Hurd road and the Woodstock site there are some photos of how it looks now.
Thank you! This would all be easier if I had more than a child’s memory of locations.
Really, it was a magic time for us. The fact that it was my family’s place made us feel more tied to it, perhaps. Unfortunately we couldn’t keep it in the end.
During Woodstock we were on a family trip to the South. I think maybe my parents wanted to avoid the area. My older brother was not pleased.
Hi, Brian. My name is Chuck Ortner. We are related. Morris and Rose Freedman were my mother’s uncle and aunt (and my great uncle and great aunt). My mother, Ruth, was the daughter of Clara Rindzuner. Clara’s maiden name was Clara Nudelman. Clara’s sister was Rose Nudelman, who married Morris Freedman. Rose and Morris had two children – Marty and Lucille (Lucy). Lucille married Ralph Irving who created the popular men’s clothing stores — the He Man Shops (in Manhattan, possibly Brooklyn and also in Westchester County. That is how you and I are related.
Clara and her husband lived in New York City — they got divorced in the 1920s or ‘30s. My mother, who grew up in Brooklyn, had two siblings — Sam Rindzuner and Lucy (Lucille), whose married name was Lucille Shapiro. I have vivid memories of visiting Uncle Morris and Aunt Rose at Freedman’s Lake Road Cottages — I have a photo that was taken of my first walk at around 2 years old on the dock at the nearby Kauneonga Lake, which was connected to White Lake. As you may know, about a mile down the road from the Freedmans’ bungalow colony was Max Yazgur’s farm, the site of the first Woodstock festival. I was born in Brooklyn in 1945. We moved to Great Neck in 1948, where I was raised. I planned to be a scientist — but ended up becoming a lawyer practicing in Manhattan. My practice focused on the music world — I represented all the major record companies and some amazing recording artists including Michael Jackson, Madonna, John Legend, Lady Gaga and Jon Bon Jovi to name a few. I now live in Los Angeles. I retired a few years ago and focus on helping Democrats get elected, and serving on some charity boards including Lady Gaga’s foundation. A few years ago I produced a well-received documentary, and am now collaborating with Jon Bon Jovi on a romantic comedy. My wife passed away in 2000. My kids — Amy and Eric — live in LA, too. If you share my desire to connect further please write to me at chuck@ortnerventures.com. By the way, if memory serves, to get to the bungalow colony the easiest way, I believe, would be for you to start at the Woodstock grounds at the Conservatory at Bethel Woods, take West Shore Road toward Kauneonga Lake. The bungalows will be on your right before you get to the lake. There is an entry road on your right — immediately after a large house on the right (which was where Aunt Rose and Uncle Morris lived). Good luck. Chuck
How can I get in touch with you? I am researching a family with last name Szenk in New York. Also had family in Kalisz, Poland.
Work email: ellen@acceleratedschoolsop.org.
Dear Ellen,
Nu? What a pleasure to meet you yesterday. 🙂 I enjoyed your rapid read. I hope our paths will cross again.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Thank you Rochelle. I enjoyed your poems as well. Best wishes, Ellen
I just read your entry about the Jewish cemetery in Leavenworth and having funeral records for some of your family members. My great grandparents, grandparents and two great uncles are buried there. Are records available? How do I get them? My great grandparents died in 1914 and 1940 so I’m especially interested in them.
I will ask my friend and get back to you.
My great grandparents, 2 great uncles and one set of grandparents are buried at Sons of Truth Cemetery in Leavenworth. I read your entry about finding burial records for your husband’s ancestors. How could I obtain them for my family? I’m most interested in my great grandparents (died 1914 and 1940) and the great uncle that died in 1944. The others were later so I have less interest in those. Who/where do I ask to see if these exist?
A friend actually got them for me. Our family is buried in Mt Zion cemetery there. But I think if you contact Louis chapel in Kansas City they can tell you who to contact for Jewish burials.
Hi~ I have tried to follow your blog a number of times using the follow me button and each time it tells me to I need to use a valid email address~ which of course I am so I am not sure what is wrong. Wondering if you know of this problem. it suddenly occurred to me to ask you to send me an invite to the blog through my email address please 🙂 nwpaintedlady@yahoo.com ~ Sharon
Hi Sharon, I have not heard of that problem. Did you try to follow me thru your blog? But I will email you and see if that helps.
But when I tried to email you directly from WordPress it showed an error. I tried twice. Will try from my email.
I have sent a request to WordPress on how to send you an invite.
I just sent an invitation.
Hi! I have no idea whether you still run this blog but I’m giving it a shot…
My wife and I live in the UK and have recently become grandparents. When our daughter, Tori, was one year old we bought her the purple Little Tikes car, which gave her endless hours of fun. Now that Tori is a mum to Poppy, I have searched high and low to try and find an original purple car so we can re-live that magical time.
I came across your fantastic story of how you managed to repatriate your own purple car and I know it’s a massive long shot but I wondered whether, if you still had it, you may be interested in selling it?
Kindest regards,
Mark Hargreaves
Dear Mark.
I feel your pain. And I wish I could help. But we have a two-year-old granddaughter who lives that purple car. And I have vowed to my daughter to never let that car out of my sight again.
Perhaps somewhere in the UK another one exists. Best wishes.
Dear Zicharon,
Thank you so much for the speedy response and I’m delighted to hear your granddaughter is enjoying the legacy!
My search will continue and, in the meantime, I’m wishing you and your family many more years of health and happiness in the Purple Princess!
Warmest regards,
Mark
And I wish you success in your search!!